bastrop county

Most of the rivers and creeks engorged by Friday's heavy rainfall have reached their highest points and have started to recede. As they do, the residents of hard-hit places, like San Marcos, Bastrop County and Austin's Onion Creek neighborhood, are starting the process of cleaning up and assessing the damage.

Though the rescue efforts are over, and many donation centers are no longer accepting donated material goods, there are still ways you can help, whether it's by donating money, or making yourself available to volunteer, or bringing in clean clothes for those who lost their belongings. If you're a resident looking for help removing damaged goods or receiving donations, there's information for you as well.

A Bastrop County Sheriff's deputy who Tased a 17-year-old in the hallway of Cedar Creek High School last year will not face any charges.

The teenager, Noe Niño De Rivera, spent almost two months in a medically induced coma and is now in a residential rehabilitation center in the Hill Country. He is believed to have suffered a permanent brain injury.

Some Cedar Creek High School students walked out of class today in protest of the tasing of a fellow student on Wednesday. That student, 17-year-old Noe Nino de Rivera, has been in a coma ever since the incident.

Officials and Rivera’s family members are far apart in their descriptions of the incident.

Bastrop County Sheriff’s Deputies Randy McMillan and Timothy Stalcup, who work as school resource officers for the Bastrop school district, were called Wednesday morning to a fight between two female students.

Public safety officials have released the name of one of the victims of the Bastrop fire. His name was Michael Troy Farr and he was 48 years old. The identity of the second victim has not been released.

Farr was a City of Austin employee. Mayor Lee Leffingwell has issued is condolences.

"I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of a City of Austin employee. Our sympathies go out to the friends and family of Troy Farr," Leffingwell said in a statement. "As a member of the City of Austin family since 2003, Troy will be greatly missed."

Some Bastrop residents learned whether their homes has been destroyed after the county released a partial list of addresses of burned out structures.

“The list says our house has structural loss so, we don’t know what that means, but at least it’s better than not knowing I guess – hopefully we’ll be able to get up there soon and find out what’s still there," Jenna Munion told KUT News.

Fire officials have not provided any update on the degree to which the Bastrop Complex fire under control since this morning. At that point, they had said it was 30 percent contained.

Evacuated Spicewood residents are back home and evaluating the damage. Between 65 and 75 homes were touched by the flames. Some people lost everything. (Story)

President Obama called Governor Perry to talk about the Texas wildfires today. According to a statement from the White House, Obama extended his condolences and said the federal government was here to help. Governor Perry is scheduled to debate GOP presidential contenders tonight in Simi Valley, California. One of the core themes of Perry's campaign is that the size and scope of federal power needs to be reduced.

NPR's John Burnett reports on how Texas' historic drought and record-breaking wildfires have not affected Perry's skepticism of climate change, potentially an important issue if Perry seeks to win a general election. (Story)

Update at 4:54 p.m.

Texas is requesting a major disaster declaration from the United States government, which would allow access to federal disaster relief funds. (Story)

Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said he expects the count of destroyed homes to "double" when people are allowed back into the burn zone. Bastrop County officials currently count 576 structures destroyed. The Texas Forest Service says the number is closer to 800.

McDonald said last night was the first night that no additional structures were lost. He says additional resources are helping firefighters get a handle on the blaze.

The superintendent of Bastrop ISD says schools are still tentatively scheduled to open Monday.

The Union Chapel fire, which started in the Cedar Creek area, is now 90 percent contained.

Meanwhile, Bluebonnet Electric has been surveying the damage to electrical lines and will begin restoration work Thursday morning. It aims to post estimated restoration times on its website. This is only for the top part of the disaster area. Bluebonnet crews are not allowed into the burn zone between highways 21 and 71.

Several shelters have opened up throughout Central Texas for people forced to evacuate their homes becuase of the wildfires in Bastrop County and near Steiner Ranch, west of Austin.

The fire is burning between Smithville and the City of Bastrop, in and around Tahitian Village, The Colony, Colavista, Pine Forest and Circle D subdivisions, K-C Estates, La Riata, Pine Valley Estates and Pine Loop subdivisions.